Loving Embrace
by PurpleMaple
Summary: Riza receives a phone call while at work, turns out her Colonel is sick and wants her to bring his paperwork for him. The only problem is she has her new puppy Black Hayate with her. She brings the puppy along causing fevers and affection to run wild.


A birthday gift for the AMAZING AllisonHargreeves! (check out her profile it's got some cool stuff and we did a couple of collabs which is always fun) I got this idea from some stories of her and her friends new puppy as well as what I have said/done with my own dog. I hope you all enjoy!

Alas I do not own any of the characters or FMA

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Hawkeye knew that as soon as the clock above the door struck 9:00 that drab Monday morning and the Colonel hadn't sauntered in that something was amiss. She sighed as she glanced at the large pile of urgent reports sitting on his desk, knowing they had to be at the filing office by noon tomorrow.

Hawkeye was brought out of her thoughts by the phone ringing on her commander's desk. She walked over and picked up the phone already having an idea on who it could be.

"Colonel Mustang's office, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye speaking."

"Hawkeye, it's me." The voice on the other end was raspy and congested. If she hadn't grown up with the person she probably wouldn't have recognized him.

"Colonel, is everything alright?"

She could hear a faint cough from the other end of the line before he responded.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to come into work today. Would you be able to bring me my work?" _I'm sick, please come and keep me company._

"Sir, I have Black Hayate with me.." _I have the dog and it won't_ exactly _look professional._ Riza said as she glanced over by her desk at Hayate, who was curled up taking a nap.

"Bring him with you." _Please I need you right now, the dog is no issue._

Riza looked up at the ceiling in exasperation.

"Alright, let me contact General Grumman, then I'll be on my way after I stop to change out of my uniform and grab a couple of things." _You're such a child._

"Thank you, you're a lifesaver." _It's one of the reasons why you love me._

"I'll see you soon sir." _I love you too._

Riza hung up then turned to address the rest of the team who had stopped their work when they heard Hawkeye mention the Colonel.

"The Colonel is home sick with the bug that has been going around. He has requested that I bring him his paperwork, knowing him he'll need my help in completing it so I'm going to take the rest of the day off."

Riza then proceeded to call Lieutenant General Grumman's office.

"Lieutenant General Grumman's office, Sergeant Dave's speaking."

"This is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, I would like to speak to the Lieutenant General please."

"Right away Lieutenant, let me patch you through."

Before Riza could blink the General's voice came through the line.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, what brings you to call my office? Your Colonel isn't here with me right now."

"That is actually what I wanted to discuss sir, the Colonel called in due to being ill. There is some paperwork that needs to be dealt with immediately that needs the Colonel's signature.."

"I'll grant you the leave of absence my dear. Sounds like the Colonel needs it if he has the bug that has been going around East Command. Give him my best my dear and you have a good day."

"You as well sir, and thank you."

Riza hung up the phone and started collecting her things, her sudden actions waking Hayate.

"I'll be at the Colonel's for the rest of the day, if you need me you know his number. Can I leave you in charge Havoc?" Hawkeye asked as she reached for the door, Black Hayate at her heels. Havoc stood up with a salute.

"You can count on me. Take good care of our Colonel."

Hawkeye nodded and returned the salute before picking up Hayate and striding out of the office.

 _ **-/-/-**_

Riza knocked on her commanding officers door, barely able to do so due to her arms being full of paperwork, cans of soup, and a squirming puppy. She heard the tell tale signs of someone approaching the door, it opened slowly to reveal a haggard looking Roy Mustang. As soon as he saw who was there he turned and left the door open as a silent enter as he shuffled back into his small flat.

Riza followed him inside and closed the worn door behind her, Hayate was scrambling in her arms, too excited to explore. She placed him down and watched as he scampered over to Roy who had flopped down on his couch/bed with an overdramatic huff.

She proceeded to the small kitchen to put the groceries she procured away and headed to the living room to check on Roy. He had his right arm draped across his eyes, his other was hanging off the side, Hayate playing with his fingers. She walked over and put her hand to his forehead, immediately feeling a fever.

"You are burning up sir." Riza sighed as she removed her hand.

"Riza, what did I say about formalities." Even through the haze of fever and congestion his glare still contained the usual heat.

"Sorry, force of habit." She gave him a smile as she ran her fingers through his sweat slicked hair, removing it from his warm forehead. Roy hummed as he gave in to her comfortable ministrations.

"Do you have any medicine for that fever?" Riza asked.

"Medicine cabinet, bathroom." Roy mumbled as he gave a silent Hayate a scratch on the head.

Riza nodded as she got up and walked over to the bathroom. She opened the cabinet and sighed as she saw the lack of anything useful to treat a fever. She sighed again as she returned to the living room and kneeled by Roy's head once more.

"I'm going to have to make a run to the Pharmacy, cough drops and tweezers aren't exactly ideal to treat fevers. Will you be okay on your own for a while?"

"Riza, I'm a 29 year old man. I think I can take care of myself for half an hour, besides Hayate is here with me."

"You did call me and asked to bring you soup."

"It was a great excuse to spend time with my amazing secret girlfriend."

Riza just rolled her eyes, a very common reaction to Roy's antics as she turned her attention to her puppy who had just successfully leapt onto the end of the couch and was sitting patiently.

"Keep a watch on this dork for me will you." A small yip and huff were the response to her words. She laughed as she got up and made her way to the door.

"Be good you two. I'll be back in an hour."

Roy watched as Riza walked out the door, he was hoping he could spend the whole afternoon with her, but he should've considered at least having basic medical supplies. He put his hand to his head and cringed at the heat and clamminess he felt. He really was quite ill.

He decided to close his eyes and take a nap while he waited for Hawkeye. As he was drifting off he felt Hayate curl up at his feet. He pulled his extra pillow close to his chest as he finally allowed himself to drift off.

 _ **-/-/-**_

His body was too warm, his shirt was sticking to much to his skin, there was something warm surrounding his feet and he wanted it off!

Roy quickly flung the blanket off himself, and proceeded to take off his shirt and tossed it across the room. He was about to kick the warm mass at his feet when he felt it shift and make a small sound. He groggily opened his eyes and looked down to see Hayate still curled up, not being bothered by the older mans frantic actions the moment before.

He sat up and looked at his pocket watch on the coffee table in front of him. From what he could make out in his fever like state, Riza would be back in another half an hour. He slumped back against the worn couch. He looked around at his sparsely decorated flat. He already read all the alchemy textbooks in his collection times over, and he was in no mood to read any of his political texts. That left him nothing but to do the paperwork that Riza brought him.

He pulled the coffetable closer to himself and attempted to focus on the words in front of him, he rubbed at his eyes but the words continued to blur. He felt something cold on his elbow and slowly turned his head to Hayate. The little pup sat and watched him. Roy was happy that Riza decided to take the pup in, she always seemed happier when the puppy did something cute or curled up by her feet while she read on the couch.

As he stared at Hayate longer he felt the urge to scoop the dog into his arms, but Riza's reprimanding from the last time he overly smothered the dog came back to him. She was taking time off work to care for his sorry butt, the least he could do is not make her dog sick as well.

" _But he is so_ damn _cute… maybe just a quick hug. Hayate loves it when Riza and Fuery hug him. He'll be okay if I give him a quick squeeze."_

"Hi Hayate, how has your day been going?" Hayate cocked his head as the Colonel continued to address him.

"Have you enjoyed living with Riza? She is taking such great care of you, so make sure you show her respect! Have you meet any other dogs your age? Any pretty dogs? You're still young, you'll meet someone someday."

Hayate continued to stare at him, his tail slowly moving side to side.

"Hayate, can you come here?" Roy held his arms open as he stared at the dog with his puppy eyes. Hayate stayed unmoving, watching him with curiosity.

"Please Black Hayate? I'm not feeling well and could use a hug until your mom gets back." Roy slowly moved to grab Hayate, but the dog stood up and took a step back.

"Please do this for me Hayate." Roy shuffled closer, making Hayate move back against the arm of the couch, his curious expression now one of caution.

"Buraha?" Roy hoped using Riza's nickname for him would calm the puppy enough for him to encompass him in his sickly embrace.

The two stared each other down, no one moved a muscle. They remained motionless before Roy lunged at Hayate. His face hit the arm rest as Hayate launched his small body off the couch.

'HAYATE! PLEASE LET ME LOVE YOU!" Roy yelled with a sniff as he stumbled after Hayate.

The puppy ran around the small home, running around tables and chairs as Roy gave chase. Roy stumbled as he kept attempting to catch the dog. His fever was affecting his vision as he was barely missing colliding into the couch or slam into the bookcases. The paperwork now scattered around the floor.

"Hayate, PLEASE!" Roy cried, his breathing more and more laboured than before as he finally gave up and slumped against the wall and sat in the floor. He took a few moments to catch his breath and try to clear the spots from his eyes. After a couple of moments he looked up and saw Hayate sitting a few feet from him, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he panted. Roy simply closed his eyes in defeat.

After a few moments of collecting their breathes Roy felt a nudge on his knee. He opened his eyes and lolled his head to the left to peer at Hayate. The puppy was looking at him with what Roy could only describe as a regretful expression.

"I'm okay boy, Just need a moment." His voice was even hoarser than before, his breathing shallow, and he could tell his fever was higher as well.

Hayate slowly moved closer to him, apprehension clear on his puppy face. He slowly approached Roy's hand that was draped across his abdomen and gave it a apprehensive lick, when Roy made no sudden movements the pup moved closer and rested his head on Roy's stomach, looking up at him with big eyes. Roy smiled and slowly rubbed his velvety ears. Hayate closed his eyes in contempt. Before Hayate could react, Roy scooped him into his arms and pressed him against his chest.

Roy held Hayate close as the dog continued to squirm, using whatever he could to push off against Roy, using his small claws and teeth to get at whatever he could.

"ACCEPT MY LOVE HAYATE!"

The dog continued to squirm more, the sounds of Roy's pleas and Hayate's whines were so loud that they didn't hear the front door open.

"Roy, why are you struggle snuggling my dog?"

Both Roy and Hayate immediately stopped what they were doing to look up at Riza who was standing in the hall with two medium sized brown bags in hand. The look she was giving them caused both of her boy's to pale. Roy immediately let Hayate go and the pup sat down on the floor.

Roy cleared his throat before speaking.

"Hi Riza. How was your trip to the Pharmacy?"

"It was fine, I also got you a few other things since your medicine cabinet looked a little bare."

"I'll reimburse you for all of that." Roy said as he slowly got up from his spot on the floor, he had to keep a hand on the wall for balance since the room kept spinning. He felt Riza grasp his elbow as she slowly guided him over to the couch where Roy plumped down with a huff.

He watched as Riza took the bags she had discarded on the table into the bathroom. He put his head in his hands as he felt a headache come on. She must think he is really out of it to be suffocating her dog.

" _What if she breaks up with me? No, Riza would never do that over something as small as this, the fever did get to me. Besides we have sacrificed to much to even have this relationship. Dammit I hate this fever for making me doubt her love!"_

Roy was brought out of his trance by the smell of broth under his nose. When he moved his hands a bowl of soup was waiting for him, along with some bread and a glass of water. He looked up to see Riza giving him one of her small smiles that he always adored. He graciously took the soup from her and began eating, Riza then deposited a couple of pills on the table before taking her silent place at his side. She put a hand on his forehead to check is temperature again and pursed her lips at having there be no change.

Roy continued to eat his soup in silence, enjoying Riza being at his side and it not be during office hours. After he was done his soup and bread he picked up the medication and washed it down with the glass of water. He ended up draining the entire glass, him chasing Hayate really tired him out.

"Care to explain what I came back too?" Riza asked calmly, Roy didn't even realize that Hayate had taken his spot on her lap, his eyes never leaving Roy's. Roy glared at the pup as he spoke.

"He wouldn't snuggle with me, so I had to take matters into my own hands." Riza just raised an eyebrow at Roy's response, the fact that he had congestion made his voice sound even more childish.

"The house is a mess, you've raised your fever, and bruised your knee, all to snuggle with my dog?"

"Like you've never done that before." Roy pouted.

Riza shook her head as she ran her fingers through his ebony hair.

"No Roy, I can't say I have. This fever must really be getting to you to revert to chasing my dog around your home."

"Yes, let's blame it on the fever and me not missing you to the point that I associated your dog with you and took out my loving tendencies on him."

Her smile grew as she continued to pet both her dogs.

"You really are an idiot, even when your sick as a horse."

"That's not funny Riza, but I'm always your idiot."

"Come on, you better go shower then lie down for a bit."

Roy nodded as he slowly got up, Riza remained at his side as she helped guide him to his small washroom. Before he entered he turned to Riza surprising her.

"Promise me you'll be here when I get out?"

His question was answered with a smile.

"I promise. Now get in their and have a shower, you smell terrible."

Before he could respond she shoved him backwards by a hand to the chest and closed the door.

 _ **-/-/-**_

Roy emerged 20 minutes later freshly showered, shaved, and teeth brushed. He walked to the closet in the hall and grabbed a fresh pair of boxers, pj pants, and a fresh shirt. He changed in the bathroom then made his way to the living room to see Riza organize the paperwork that he had previously knocked over.

"You feeling better now?"

"A bit."

"Good, then you can finally do some of this paperwork."

Roy visibly deflated as he walked over and sat beside Riza on the couch.

"I thought you said I could have a nap?"

"That's your reward for finishing this urgent paperwork."

Roy grumbled as he picked up an pen and a piece of paper and began working. They worked in silence, occasionally they would ask for clarification on certain sections. When the paperwork was done Roy tossed the paper down with a flourish.

"Done! May I please rest for a bit?"

"Yes Roy you can." Riza spoke as she collected the paperwork into a neat pile.

Roy simply fell over, his upper body lying down and his legs still firmly planted on the floor.

"Roy, you should really invest in a proper bed. I'm surprised you haven't been overly complaining about back problems." Riza spoke as she stood up from her spot on the couch, Roy's feet immediately taking her spot.

"I'll get us a king size bed when we move into the Fuhrer's estate." Roy mumbled, his face squished into the pillow.

He felt a pressure by his feet and assumed it was Riza asking him to give her her seat back. He moved his feet slightly, but he didn't feel the by now familiar weight of her. He felt something cold on his ankle and his eyes snapped open as he looked to the other end of the couch.

Hayate was sitting there and he delicately placed a paw on Roy's leg. Hayate stood up and placed is other front paw beside his other paw. Roy proceeded to watch as the tiny dog walked along his side like a tightrope. He walked right up to Roy's face and curled up on the small section of couch by Roy's head, curling up into a small ball as he decided to take a nap. Roy hesitantly wrapped an arm around the pup, afraid he would run off like before, but when the dog stayed in place Roy tightened his grip and buried his face into Hayate's head.

"Comfy?"

"Yes, but I wish I was holding you instead of your dog."

"We have plenty of time for that later, now get some rest."

Roy nodded as he finally succumbed to some much needed rest, taking comfort in Hayate's warmth and knowing that when he awoke, his Riza would be there as well.

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Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my work! I have a TON of WIPS so this may slowly be the start of my return to posting my writing. Leave a R&R if you can, they help a lot! Frosty hugs to all and be kind to each other!


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